Friday, December 30, 2011

Cola roast is about as easy as it gets, and it gives good results, too. All you need is a big hunk of meat, a can of cola (no diet!, though sugar soda is fine as opposed to hfcs soda), and some beef bouillon granules. It's taken a while, but most of my kids like this now, and they can be a tough crowd. Serve it up with a big pot of mashed potatoes, and add some veggies as a side, and you're good to go. I like to buy the huge 5lb. chuck roasts when they're on sale, cut them in half, and toss them in the freezer. On the day I'm ready to make it, I stick it in the slow cooker around 10 or 11 am, and it's ready for dinner at 7pm. I take the roast out about 20 minutes before serving, so that it has some time to rest before cutting. This helps keep your juices in where they belong. I also spoon extra juices over the top, and cover it with foil before placing it on the table. Serving extra juices on the side also helps keep the roast nice and moist. I have made gravy from the drippings too, but my family isn't huge on gravy so I don't make it often.

1 large chuck roast, enough to feed your family with a few leftovers if desired
1 can Pepsi or Coke
Beef Roast Seasoning (available from Penzey's, it adds a nice flavor but the roast is fine without it too)
1-2 Tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1-2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
OR
in place of the beef granules and onions you can use a packet of beefy onion soup mix, but I like a little stronger beef flavor

Place your beef in the slow cooker. If it is frozen, I like to put it on high for an hour or two to get things going, and then turn it down to low. Or you can put it in a little earlier, too. It's pretty forgiving.

Sprinkle the bouillon granules and minced dried onions on the top (and beef roast seasoning if you have it), then gently pour the can of soda over everything. Turn on the slow cooker and you're done.

You want roughly 8-9 hours for this recipe, but play around with it a bit to see what works. It's pretty forgiving, and you can go a little longer or shorter as needed.